Treat Every Gaya the Way You Want to Be Treated

And I don't think you want to be cut into slices and sold and eaten all across the world -- do you? I don't think so. But first, you're probably wondering what 'gaya' means. Gaya is the sacred name for cow in Hindi. Why? Because most Hindus begin and end their lives without eating any
beef.

Unfortunately, when we are born, our parents feed us food they think we will like. Beef is one of them, mostly because beef is one of the largest -- if not the largest -- meat produced in the world. In fact, there are 94 million head of beef cattle produced by 1 million beef producers in the United States. In India, most people never taste beef throughout their whole lives. Here is another fact for you: The United States provides 25 percent of the world's beef, but only has 10 percent of the world's cattle. That insists that we slaughter these harmless creatures at an alarming rate. How would you like it if you were injected with chemicals and then killed to feed the bellies of 25 percent of the world? I can speak for the holy gaya: they do not like it at all. Animals know what pain and suffering is, but their brains psychologically cannot understand why we kill them relentlessly.

So why am I making a post about cows? Mostly because I'm on their side. As of this month, I have not eaten beef in two years. From January 1st, 2012, to January 1st, 2013, I was a vegetarian, so I ate no meat -- including beef. I made the mindless decision to start eating meat again during the first half of 2013. By June 2013, after learning about the abuse that cows experience and how they are the universe's sacred creature, I decided to never eat beef again. So it's June 2014; it has been one year. Collectively, all of this is two full years.

Many people ask me, "Why did you do it?" And normally I answer, "Spiritual reasons." This is because most Americans can't wrap their head around not eating meat for spiritual reasons. Meat is part of their lives; meat is like their family because they can't just remove it from their lives.

But if I'm being completely honest, I stopped eating beef more than just for spiritual reasons. Cows are abused more than any other animal, along with pigs, chickens, and fish -- all of which we consume on a daily basis. When a cow feels fear or pain before dying, chemicals are naturally released in its body, and when it is slaughtered, those chemicals remain in its meat. In effect, we consume these harmful, negative sources of energy when we eat beef. In Hindi culture, cows are considered the holiest, purest form of any animal. They are so pure that when someone commits a sin, they must consume gaya to purge their sins and cleanse their body. This is an incredibly painful experience for someone who has never consumed gaya their entire life. It is so important to understand that they don't eat cow solely because it is the holiest of all creatures. I have learned to practice this belief for two years.

If someone were to actually listen when they ask me "Why did you stop eating beef?" I would tell them all this information, especially how gaya are the holiest animals on Earth. I would tell them that if everyone and everything and every animal died on this Earth except me and a cow, I would not kill and eat the cow. I would sit with the cow and learn its sacred ways by meditating near it and searching for enlightenment until I die of starvation.

Normally I don't like to promote my beliefs when I write. In this case, I am trying with all my strength to persuade you to not consume cows. I have learned to not eat cows, not think of them, and sometimes not even look at them. Writing this post is the most I have thought about holy gaya in two collective years, mostly because gaya are only to be praised and discussed in spiritual circumstances. I encourage everyone to follow this practice; I encourage everyone to treat every gaya the way you want to be treated.

Facts from the second paragraph provided by: http://ffanewhorizons.org/farm-facts-about-beef/